Apparatus for fluid treating fibrous materials



Feb. 25, 1936. E. .1. ABBOTT APPARATUS FOR FLUID TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 0 O O O O O 0 O O O D O O O O 9 W 9N J a a 0 9 a---V=B ---VJ 9 MMMHMWMMMIWWWMWHWHW, lmIw ooooooooooooo7o Feb. 25, 1936. E. J. ABBOTT 2,031,588

APPARATUS FOR FLUID TREATING FIBROUS MATERIALS Filed June 25, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L! jiz-yewdaa jaZu/arm'? faba' f Patented Feb. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR FLUID'TBEATING FIBROUS MATERIALS Application June 25, 1930, Serial No. 463,649

11 Claim.

This invention pertains to the fluid treatment of textile materials, and relates more particularly to apparatus, to wit, a kettle or vat, for use in such fluid treatment, for example, as dyeing, bleaching, or preshrinking textile yarns, the principal object being to provide a kettle or vat of improved construction by means of which the fluid treatment may be carried out in a highly eiflcient and expeditious way with assurance of substantial uniformity of product and under improved conditions and ease of operation.

As respects certain aspects of the invention, the kettle or vat may be either of the open or closed type and may be used in carrying out any of the usual methods of dyeing or other fluid treatment of textiles or the like, but I have herein chosen to illustrate the invention as embodied, by way of example, in an open topped kettle or vat equipped for pressure dyeing or fluid treating yarns, slivers, etc., wound upon spools.

Since difliculty has commonly been experienced in pumping hot dye liquor against a pressure head, by reason of the tendency of the hot fluid to vaporize and cause cavitation at the pump intake with consequent loss of or irregularity in the delivery pressure, I have found it desirable to place the pump within the kettle where it is required to exert little if any suction upon the surrounding body of fluid, such arrangement incidentally resulting in an increased thermal efficiency as compared with apparatus in which the pump and connecting piping are outside of the kettle or vat. Since it is sometimes desirable to reverse the direction of fluid flow during the operation, I prefer to use a pump impeller of screw propeller type (rather than centrifugal type) since the direction of flow may readily be reversed, when using the propeller type of impeller, merely by changing its direction of rotation, for example by reversal of the driving means. It is common in the art of kettle dyeing to sink the kettle in a pit or the like so that its top is but a short distance above the floor level of the dye house and it is thus convenient to have the motor which actuates the pump disposed at a point above the top of the kettle, an arrangement having the further advantage that it requires no packing gland for the pump shaft, such as would be necessary if the shaft entered the kettle from below the liquid level. In accordance with the present invention I erect within the dye kettle, preferably centrally thereof, a hollow perforated column which may conveniently also function as a strainer, and upon the upper end of which I mount the motor, arranging the motor shaft to extend vertically down, preferably axially of the hollow column, and having the pump impeller secured to its lower end. This mode of supporting the motor upon a central column has the advantage that it leaves the top of the kettle wholly unobstructed at its peripheral portion, and

is desirable from still another standpoint, since, by providing the motor with an air impeller fan,

I am able not only to cool the motor parts, but also (by the use if necessary of suitable deflect- 1o ing means) to deliver a conical or umbrella shaped air blast downwardly over the top of the kettle, thus effectively blowing away any hot vapor arising from the kettle and enabling the operator to observe the dyeing operation more 15 clearly and with greater ease and comfort than under usual conditions. The motor shaft preferably is surrounded by a suitable guard to avoid any tendency of the same to cause cavitation in the surrounding body of liquid and I provide a novel bearing for this drive shaft adjoining the pumping element, such bearing preferably comprising wooden elements arranged in such a manner as to be wear resistant, while readily permitting the flow of liquid thereabout, thus providing efllcient lubrication and reducing the tendency of grit or the like to break down the bearing surface.

As illustrated, the kettle is of the double bottom type for use in pressure dyeing, and the dye liquor delivered axially downward by the pump impeller into the plenum space between the bottom members of the kettle is distributed by suitable directing means so as to prevent swirling and to insure even operation,-the heating medium, usually steam, being also admitted to the plenum space in a manner which substantially prevents hammering and which makes use of the energy of the steam to increase the velocity of the flowing dye liquor.

To avoid the excess pressure of the dye liquor, particularly when but a few spools are in use, I have provided a pressure relief valve for the space between the kettle bottoms, and for convenience and. efllciency in filling and emptying the kettle and in rinsing the material therein, I provide a novel arrangement of piping, valves, and strainers as hereinafter more fully described, together with other details of novel, utility, and invention.

In the accompanying drawings wherein one embodiment of invention is illustrated by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a central sectional view of one embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section showing pressure relief means which may be used when the kettle is not provided with its full complement of spools;

Fig. 4 is a top view to larger scale of a preferred form of drive shaft bearing; and

Fig. 5 is a small scale, diagrammatic section, at right angles to the section of Fig. 1, showing the arrangement of the inlet pipe.

While my invention-may be of more general utility, I regard it as particularly desirable in its illustrated embodiment in apparatus for spool dyeing yarn or the like. Referring to Fig. 1, the numeral I designates a dye vat or kettle having a bottom 2 and a false bottom 3 spaced from the bottom 2 to provide a plenum chamber 4 between them. The false bottom 3 has a plurality of openings, each preferably provided with a tubular bushing sleeve II, the lower ends of the sleeves resting uponthe bottom 2, while the upper end of each sleeve or bushing is provided with an annular seat-flange 1 adapted to support the lower end of a spool 6. The lower part of each bushing is provided with one or more elongate slots l2 permitting the flow of fluid from the plenum chamber upwardly and into the hollow barrel of the spool resting upon the seat-flange 1 and thence outwardly through suitable perforations I4 in the spool barrel, so that liquid supplied under pressure to the plenum chamber flows out through the yarn or roving wound upon the spool barrels;

A vertical rod 5, anchored at its lower end to the bottom 2, projects upwardly and axially through each bushing H and is provided with suitable means for clamping a spool 6 against the corresponding. seat I. Preferably these rods 5 are reduced in diameter at their lower portions, providing shoulders at I which bear upon the lower ends of the corresponding bushing ll. Since the seat flange 1 of the bushing rests upon the upper surface of the false bottom 3, and the shoulder on rod holds the lower end of the bushing against the bottom 2. The two bottom members are firmly clamped together and kept from spreading,a very necessary feature in a wooden kettle. Such clamping means preferably comprises a retaining cap 8 or the like, adapted to bear against the top of the spool 6 and to close the upper end of the tubular spool barrel being held tightly against the upper end of the spool by a nut 5 engaging the screw threaded upper end of the rod 5. As shown at the right of Fig. l, the cap 8 for a selected one of the spools may carry an upward extension ll adapted to project above the highest possible 'liquid level without the dye vat, such extension being closed at its upper end by a cap 8 held in place by a. suitable clamping nut 5 engaging the corresponding rod 5. This arrangement permits such spool to be unclamped (without lowering the level of the hot dye liquor) for sampling purposes.

The false bottom 3 is provided with a large opening 3 preferably centrally located, and a vertically disposed hollow column 20 is arranged to extend upwardly concentrically with this opening 3* from the false bottom 3 to a point above the top of the kettle. Preferably this column consists of a plurality of aligned sections, the lower section which is within the kettle preferably being perforated, as indicated at 22, to serve aos sssas a strainer. The fluid within the dye proper freely enters the column throng i these perforations and passes downwardly through the opening 3 into the plenum chamber 5. At the lower end of the column 26, I arrange a spiderlike frame 23, which supports a suitable 2d in which a vertical drive shaft 2%") is mounted. This shaft preferably extends downwardly below the bearing and carries a suitable pump impeller 26 at or near its lower end, such impeller pref-= erably being arranged directly within the open= ing 3- in the false bottom, the opening, if desired, being furnished with a lining sleeve or bushing 2?. The pump impeller 26- is preferably of the axial flow type. for example, a screw propeller, and the shaft 25'may be connected to any suitable (preferably reversible) driving means, for example, an electric motor 26 mounted upon the upper end of the column 2%.

A part 40 (conveniently a metal casting) is arranged directly below the column 20 between the false bottom 3 and the true bottom 2 of the kettle, and acts to brace the central part of the false bottom and to suppo'rt the weight of the column and parts carried thereby. This casting 40 preferably has a plurality of downwardly and outwardly curved ducts or passages 40 having walls which tend to overcome any tendency of the liquid to swirl or take up a marked rotary motion within the plenum chamber. These passages compel the liquid to enter the plenum chamber in a plurality of independent and substantially horizontal streams, such passages communicating at their upper ends with the opening 3 and at their lower ends with the pleunm space E.

A hollow frusto-conical portion 4! of the part 40 is arranged directly below the center of the pump impeller 26- and defines the lower walls of the passages 40. to deliver steam or other hot fluid into the chamber in part 4| and from this chamber ducts 42 lead outwardly to the passages 40, so as to deliver the hot steam into the fluid flowing through said passages 40, thereby heating the fluid without substantial tendency to produce hammer, and at the same time utilizing the kinetic energy of the steam for increasing the velocity of the flowing fluid.

The bearing 24 above referred to is illustrated in detail in 4, this bearing preferably comprises a tubular shell 60 carrying spaced inwardly projecting wooden plugs or blocks 6|, the inner faces of which substantially define a cylindrical surface of the diameter of the drive shaft 25. The grain of the wood of these elements GE is preferably disposed radially in relation to the shaft, so that the end of the grain provides the bearing surface. This arrangement gives a suit-= able non-metallic bearing for the shaft, which is not injuriously affected by the dye liquor, and which leaves ample room between the bearing elements 6| for axial movement of the liquid which is depended upon for lubrication of the shaft and hearing. In contrast to a plain bushing, this arrangement is less likely to be injured by dirt or grit which tends to collect between the shaft and bushing and to wear these parts, and furthermore, the end of the grain porvides a better bearing surface than the side of the grain, while the tendency of a plane wooden bushing to shrink and crack in hot liquids, alkalies, acids, etc., is avoided.

Preferably, although not necessarily, I provide a sleeve 38 to enclose the drive shaft 25, said sleeve having a few openings 39 permitting en- A supply pipe 50 is arranged Supply pipes 12 and 13 provided with the necessary controlling valves are arranged to deliver water dye liquor, or the, like to a strainer S, from which the pipe P leads downwardly (preferably within the kettle) to a point closely adjacent to the upper surface of the false bottom 3.

Any usual drain connection ll, may be arranged to lead from the bottom of the plenum chamber;

said drain being controlled by a valve of suitable type, preferably actuated by a handle H disposed at a convenient point. An open overflow pipe 15 leads from an outlet opening 16 near the top of the kettle downwardly to a discharge below the level of the kettle bottom, said outlet opening defining the maximum height of the dye liquor in the kettle.

The cap 8 at the upper end of the extension I I, (already described) is preferably disposed above the lower part of the opening 16 so that the cap 8 and the nut are exposed above the surface of the fluid in the kettle during the dyeing operation.

The arrangement of inlet and outlet pipes just describedis of great advantage in connection with the rinsing process, since for rinsing the material it is merely necessary to admit fresh water through the pipe P which enters through the strainer S and rising in the lower part of the kettle gradually displaces the warm and dirty or spent'dye liquor in the kettle, such dirty or spent liquor flowing out through the outlet 16 and the pipe J5. When the water rises with suflicient rapidity to fill the outlet opening 16, the column of water in the pipe 15 (which extends to a point below the bottom of the kettle) produces a suction effect which materially increases the velocity of flow through the kettle, thus cutting down the time of the rinsing operation. This method of rinsing also substantially prevents the mixture of incoming clean water and the outflowing dirty water so that the saving of water necessary, as well as in the time consumed inthe operation is considerable.

As above noted the motor 26 is preferably supported by the fixed column 20, the latter being arranged at the center of the kettle. This arrangement leaves the entire peripheral portion of the kettle top free and unobstructed so that the spools may readily be placed in the kettle and removed therefrom without interference from shafts or motor supports extending transverse-1y of the kettle top.

Preferably the lower portion of the column 20 terminates in a flange 20 adjacent the top of the kettle and an extension 2| of the column is secured to this flange. in any desired manner, this extension forming the immediate support for the motor. Preferably this extension is provided at an intermediate point with a septum 11 having a central opening for the passage of the shaft 25, the edge of such opening having an upturned lip 18 forming a trap for grease which might pass downwardly from the motor. Preferably the shaft 25 is connected to the motor shaft proper by means of a coupling 19 which comprises radial flange members, such coupling being disposed within the extension member 2| and above the septum 11-. Thus any grease flowing down the motor shaft will be thrown outwardly from the coupling 18 by centrifugal action and will accumulate in the upper part of the extension 2| and will be caught by the septum and its upturned lip [8 so that the grease can not pass downwardly.

The motor is preferably of the air cooled type having an outer shell or casing C provided at its upper end with an inlet which may if desired be connected by a pipe 80 to a source of fresh cool air-for example, this pipe may extend ,to the outside of the building. Within this casing there is arranged a fan F, preferably of centrifugal type, that is to say having straight bladesv so that it will deliver a current of air in the same direction regardless of the direction of rotation of the motor. The air thus set into -motion cools the motor and is then delivered from the lower part of the casing between the flange 8| and attaching flanges 82 by means of which the motor is secured to the extension 2!. These several flanges cause the air discharged from the casing to move outwardly and downwardly in a more or less conical or umbrella shaped stream which passes transversely across the open top of the kettle and thus entrains and carries away steam and vapor rising from the kettle top.

The motor is preferably of reversible type so that the pump impeller 26 may be turned in either direction at will, thus causing the dye liquor to flow radially of the spool, either inwardly or outwardly as may be preferred, it being noted that by placing the impeller within the large opening 3 in the false bottom 3 the operation of the impeller, even at high speeds, does not produce any substantial cavitation effect, so that for any motor speed a substantially constant and predetermined pressure may be maintained even though the dye liquor is at the boiling point.

When using a constant speed motor, the speed is so determined with reference to the pitch and size of the pump impeller 3 and with reference to the number of spools and the thickness of material wound therein as to maintain within the plenum chamber 4, the constant pressure necessary to ensure the proper fluid velocity through the material on the spools. If, however, for any reason the full complement of spools should not be used, and one or more of the seats 1 were to be completely closed in order to maintain the desired fluid flow through the spools on the other seats, it is found that with a constant speed motor, the pressure in the plenum chamber would rise with accompanying rise in fluid velocity, and to avoid this condition I prefer, as illustrated in Fig. 3, to provide valve members 83 adapted to be associated with any vacant seat I for normally closing the opening through said seat. Preferably such valve members 83 are cylindrical plugs of a diameter adapted to close the opening through the seat, each plug having an axial opening for the reception of a clamping rod 5 so that the plug may slide vertically on therod. When one of the seats I is to be left vacant (that is, unprovided with a fllled spool) the valve member 83 is slipped over the clamping rod 5 and allowed to drop onto the seat, the weight of the valve member being such that if the pressure in the plenum chamber rises beyond a predetermined amount, the valve will automatically rise in response to the pressure and allow some of the dye liquor to escape through the opening in seat 1. Preferably when using such a valve plug 83, I clamp an empty spool on the seat which is closed by the plug, the barrel oi the spool being of sumcient diameterto receive the plug freely without interfering with the rise and fall of the latter. I find the spool surrounding the plug to be advantageous since it breaks up the stream of fluid escaping from beneath the valve plug, which, if permitted to enter in a single rapidly flowing stream, might cause snarling or injury to the stock on adjacent spools.

If desired, a variable speed motor may be used instead of the single speed motor above referred to and in such case,the relief or safety valves may or may not be employed as desired. If a multi-speed motor is employed, I find that a standard alternating current three-phase motor wound to give different speeds provides the requisite change in pump velocity for different conditions, and such motors are relatively inexpensive and may be controlled in a very simple way.

In referring to the use of the safety valve 8%, it was stated that the barrel of the spool was large enough to receive the valve plug without interfering with the movements of the latter. The large barrel spools I find to be highly advantageous from the standpoint of uniformity of production, since, assuming that the head of the spool is of normal diameter, the large barrel limits the thickness of the material wound on the spool and thus prevents abnormal difference in the velocity of the fluid at the outer and inner peripheral surfaces of the material wound on the spool. Thus a spool which is forty inches long between its heads, and has heads ten and one-half inches in diamter, with a barrel six inches in external diameter is found in practice to ensure a velocity of radial flow not more than 60% greater at the inner periphery of the material than at the outer periphery. This is highly imporant since it is desirable to maintain as high a velocity as is permissible in order to cut down the time of the operation while at the same time to avoid a velocity which will cause blowing and tangling of the material. In other words, by the employment of a spool of this type, the thickness of the material which may be wound on the spool is kept within the predetermined minimum limits desirable for the best results. Moreover, by the employment of spools which limit the thickness of material as stated, it is possible to circulate the liquid with considerably less than the customary pressure, and in much larger volume. For example, in a five hundred pound kettle holding six or seven hundredgallons, the liquid may be circulated at the rate of one thousand gallons per minute at approximately three pounds pressure and with a power consumption of from eight to ten horse power per kettle, whereas with the usual arrangement, a circulation of from two to four hundred gallons per minute requires the expenditure of from ten to fiftten horse power. Not only is the present arrangement economical of power but by reason of the large volume of liquid which is circulated, a very unusual uniformity of product is obtained.

While the apparatus described is particularly useful in dyeing or bleaching material wound upon spools, I find it also of great utility in the preshrinking treatment of certain types of yarn. In dealing with some kinds of yarn, for example, mohair or coarse wool, it is found that when the yarn is wet, the longer fibers shrink more than the shorter ones, giving the yarn a cockled or boucl appearance. When such yarn is woven or otherwise used it has little ultimate strength since all of the fibers do not come into action at the same time to carry the stress, and it has been customary as a preliminary step in the dyeing operation to wind such yarn upon a stretcher or reel, immerse it in hot water, and then expose it to warm air to dry and set the fibers, after which the material may be dyed without cockling. The same results may readily be obtained by the use of the apparatus above described by winding the yarn under heavy tension on the perforated spool, which is then placed in the kettle, and subjected to the action of hot water and then dried. The heavy tension necessary for this setting operation would make so dense a mass that it could not be uniformly dyed on the spools in this form, although the hot water may be circulated to an extent sufficient to set the yarn. After drying, the yarn is then rewound but under less tension upon a spool of the same kind and may be restored to the dye kettle for the dyeing operation.

Doubtless other uses of the improved apparatus will occur to those familiar with the textile arts, it being understood that various changes in relative arrangement, size, proportion of parts, and substitution of equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

I claim:

1. Apparatus of the class described comprising a receptacle for dye liquor, said receptacle having spaced bottoms providing a plenum chamber between them, a fixed vertical strainer column disposed in axial alignment with an opening in the upper bottom member, a pump impeller disposed within the lower part of the strainer column, means for rotating the impeller, and a support for the weight of the column, said support being disposed within the plenum chamber and having a plurality of discharge passages communicating at oppositeends with the interior of the column and with the plenum chamber, respectively, the support also having a chamber for the reception of heating means and channels leading from said chamber to the several delivery passages.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a receptacle for dye liquor, said receptacle having spaced bottoms providing a plenum chamber between them, a fixed vertical strainer column disposed in axial alignment with an opening in the upper bottom member, a pump impeller disposed within the lower part of the strainer column, means for rotating the impeller, and a support for the weight of the column, said support being disposed within the plenum chamber, and having a plurality of discharge passages communicating with the interior of the column, said passages having horizontally directed delivery openings.

3. Apparatus of the class described comprising a dye kettle having a transverse septum defining a plenum chamber, means for circulating the fluid therein comprising pumping means, and means for guiding the fluid therefrom, having a plurality of divergent delivery passages discharging into said plenum chamber, and means for heating the fluid in the kettle comprising means for discharging steam into each of said delivery passages in a direction such as to aid the velocity of fluid flow therein.

4. Apparatus of the class described comprising a receptacle for dye l'quor, said receptacle having spaced bottoms providing a plenum chamber between them, a fixed vertical strainer column disposed in axial alignment with an opening in the upper bottom member, a pump impeller disiii posed within the lower part of the strainer column, means for rotating the impeller, and a casting disposed in the plenum chamber directly below the column, said casting having a delivery passage leading from the interior of the column to the plenum space. and having a chamber for the reception of heating fluid, and a feed pipe communicating with said chamber, the casting having a channel leading from said chamber to the delivery passage.

5. Apparatus for circulating fluid through textile material wound on spools, comprising in combination a vat including a false bottom having openings therein, means for supporting hollow spools on the false bottom in communication with said openings, a column projecting upwardly from the false bottom, an impeller located within the vat adjoining the lower end of the column, the column having vertically spaced perforations above the impeller providing for flow of the fluid radially of the column at various levels above the impeller, a vertical impeller shaft in the column, and a motor for driving said shaft and impeller mounted on said column, whereby to leave the top of the vat substantially unobstructed for the insertion or removal of spools.

6. Apparatus for circulating fluid through textile material wound on spools, comprising in combination a vat including a false bottom having openings therein, means for supporting hollow spools on the false bottom in communication with said openings, a column projecting upwardly from the false bottom, and extending above the top of the vat, an impeller located within the vat adjoining the lower end of the column, the column having vertically spaced perforations above the impeller providing for flow of the fluid radially of the column at various levels above the impeller, a vertical impeller shaft in the column, and a motor for driving said shaft and impeller mounted on said column, whereby to leave the top of the vat substantially unobstructed for the insertion or removal of spools.

7. Apparatus of the class described including a vat, a vertical column extending upwardly from the lower part of the vat, a fluid impeller at the bottom of said column and within the vat, said column having perforations above the impeller to provide radial flow of fluid in the vat at various levels above the impeller, and means for rotating said impeller.

8. Apparatus of the class described including a vat, a vertical column extending upwardly from the lower part of the vat, a fluid impeller at the bottom of said column and within the vat, said column having perforations above the impeller to provide radial flow of fluid in the vat at various levels above the impeller, and means for rotating said impeller including a motor mounted on the column and a shaft extending vertically through the column to connect the motor and impeller.

9. Apparatus for the fluid treatment of material wound on spools, including a vat, a vertical column extending centrally of the vat from the bottom to above the top of the vat, a motor mounted on said column, and means operated by the motor for delivering a downwardly divergent air current over the top of the vat to dissipate rising vapor.

10. Apparatus for the fluid treatment of material wound on spools, including a vat, a vertical column extending centrally of the vat from the bottom to above the top of the vat, a motor mounted on said column, and means operated by the motor for delivering a downwardly divergent air current over the top of the vat to dissipate rising vapor, the apparatus including fluid impelling means in the vat, and said motor being connected to drive said fluid impelling means.

11. Apparatus for the fluid treatment of material wound on spools, including a vat, a vertical central column extending centrally of the vat from the bottom to above the top of the vat, a reversible motor mounted on said column, a fluid impeller in the vat and operated by the motor, and means operated by the motor for delivering a downwardly divergent air current over the top of the vat irrespective of the direction of rotation of the motor.

EDWARD J. ABBOTT. 

